The Pony from Everfree Forest
by HayateYuri
Summary: Alone with no one to care for him, Tyeson decides to run away in hopes of starting anew. He suddenly gets dropped off in a remote forest and enters it, only to enter into a world unlike any other. Over done as it is, it at least comes with a twist. Enjoy.
1. Prologue

Prologue-

Birds chirping, the smell of grass and tall trees. What more can a camper want? With nothing but a

backpack and the clothes on his back, the camper lives off what he has and what he can find.

"Huuuu~…How did it turn out like this?"

A lone boy stands at a bus stop. Greenery surrounds him. No civilization can be found. The only sign

Man has been there is the black pavement that stretches to either side, far beyond what the horizon.

Everyone feels alone at some point. School kids can feel alone, teens can feel alone, even adults can

feel alone. Just because they feel alone doesn't mean that they stay alone indefinitely.

"So how is it that no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to stop being alone? Even my own family don't seem to care that I'm not home anymore…"

Feelings of hopelessness. Feelings of loneliness. These can drive some to extreme lengths. For him, it drove him to a bus, with a ticket that indicated a city that was far away.

"How did this happen? I only wanted to run away to a new city. Not to some remote forest in the middle of nowhere."

Somebody save me!

As the boy continued to stand there and sulk, a robbed man approaches on his horse.

Hm? Does that horse have a brand on its hide? It's quite unique.

"May I help you..?"

"You seem to be in some trouble. Are you perhaps lost? Or did you by chance run away from home?"

How did he..?

"…"

He grinned. "Ah, seems like I guessed correctly. Tell me boy, why did you run away? No friends?

Family disowned you?"

"Heh. You could say that, old man. I don't have any friends…" I muttered, "Nobody seems to like me…"

"And anyway, my family didn't dosown me. They just ignore me," the boy said proudly.

The old man raised an eyebrow. "You know, that isn't something to be saying proudly."

He reached into his sack. While rummaging for something, the horse started to nudge the boy. His eye hinted at a truth that could not be spoken. All it could was nudge and make neighing sounds.

"Hey, old man. Seems your horse likes me. Does it like something I have or is it just friendly?" he inquired.

He didn't pay the boy any mind to his question. He just waved his hand and said the horse had an eye for good people.

"That's an odd statement," the boy said.

The boy petted the horse while he examined him. The horse was a strong brown steed. Its hooves appeared to have no horseshoes.

Perhaps it does not go through any pavement?

Then the boy examined its brand sign. Oddly enough, its brand was that of a tree and a hermit staff crossed over the tree.

Well, other than it being a brown horse with…wait…its eyes! Why do its eyes have blue eyes like a human's? That's not normal. And its mane has white and black hair strands. Is it dyed?

"Uh…old man, did you give your horse a make-over?"

He didn't look up when he responded, "No, of course not. He was born this way. Are you daft, boy?"

He said this and then he found what he was looking for.

"Ah-hah! Found you! Though you could hide, did you? You know, these apples have a way of hiding even if you have a small sack," he exclaimed.

He tossed the boy the apple." Here this is for you. And for you, Wiseman."

"Wiseman? Is that the horse's name?"

"Of course! Wiseman is the gatekeeper of this forest. You didn't think I was the gatekeeper did you?"

"Uh…no, not really. I just thought you were just a wanderer passing by. Speaking of which, where am I? Where is the nearest town?"

The old man suddenly stood silent and a tiny smile crept up his face. "Why, there's a village right down that way, through the forest. Just go down straight, you can't miss it."

"Huh. Thanks for the information. Is there a place for me to rest and eat there as well?" the boy asked.

"Oh, I'm sure they can arrange something for you. Bunch of friendly fold there, all of them. Treat each other like family."

The boy scoffed at the notion. "Hah, family, huh? Well, at least it will be a nice change of pace."

He started heading out in the direction the old man pointed to, but the old man called out, "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Why not eat your apple now? It'll be a long trek, so you will need all the strength you can get."

"Okay then. I am hungry."

"Heheh. Good then. A word of advice: If you plan to sleep, try to get to the village before dark. Don't want to sleep the forest. Bad creatures inhabit those parts."

"Alright…if I remember, that is," the boy said mischievously.

As he made his way into the forest, the old man spoke only a single phrase.

"It would appear those nice ladies will have a new resident soon, eh Wiseman?"

"Haha. He sure is spirited. I wonder what mark he will bear?"


	2. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

"Yeesh! When he said there was a village in this direction, he should have been more specific! At least he could have said how long it was going to take on foot or how far it was!" I said, exasperatedly.

What's up with this place anyway? Never knew I was near marsh country.

All around was a variety of plant fauna. There were reeds, dark pigmented flowers and vegetation native to swamps. Even the smell of swamp fumes was prevalent. The surrounding trees were all leaning and their leaves were inches away from touching the earth. The sky could be seen above but the trees made it seem that is darker than it actually was. Frogs could be heard croaking here and about as well crickets. The bubbling swamp gave the air a sort of bewitching feeling, as if this forest was housing witches and warlocks.

As he continued on, day was quickly setting. The boy quickly had himself a snack in order to keep up his strength. He was almost going to save the gifted apple, but decided to munch on it on a whim. While he snacked on his apple, night had finally fallen. It was pitch black. The trees and ground were difficult to distinguish farther ahead. Instead of tripping over himself, the boy decided to sleep within a hollowed out tree.

"Now let's see…I should be able to make a fire. Well, there's plenty of fuel. Just got to find a couple of rock to light it with. Ah-hah!"

Nearby were two rocks suitable for flint. He went back to his hold with fling and leaves plus some sticks. With a fire started he huddled into a corner and was left with his thoughts.

Just look at those stars. You don't get this kind of view back home. Home…

"Huh. I wonder how everyone is? I might not have had friends but I still helped everyone. Then there's my family. Wonder how Mom and Pop are doing?" he quietly said.

"Wonder what awaits me in the village?" he wistfully thought.

While he pondered this, flowers began to bloom. Their radiance filled the ground with an iridescent glow. Even the forest seemed to grow paler in shame of their coloring. The boy got out of his tree hole and walked into the nearby field of glowing flowers. When he stepped through them, petals and pollen were lifted and it floated in the air. As some descended and others were swept by a gentle breeze, the pollen glowed a warm yellow. It had a similarity to what fireflies looked like, but this glow was warm and dim. He looked up at the stars. They were twinkling bright, and almost appeared as if they were dancing with the glowing petals as it drifted towards the sky.

"Man, what a sight…Well might as well sleep. Maybe this was a forest's way of saying goodnight?" I laughed.

Ugh. Man, why does my body feel so heavy? Hm? Why am I standing on all fours? Can't be that weak…

"Heck, I did all the work back home!" I muttered.

Okay, let's see. Easy does it. Use the tree for a brace…

"Huh?"

Instead of hands, he saw hooves. Instead of fair skin, he saw silver fur. Birds scattered in surprise as a yell of terror mixed with confusion rose to the sky.

"Ho-How? W-When?" I stammered. "Got to see myself…! Ah-hah!"

I saw a pond directly to my left. It was a small crystal clear pond. The greenery around the pond was eerily calm and tranquil, given the creepy atmosphere yesterday. Despite my panicky state I could still hear frogs croaking and birds chirping. I neared the pond and the refreshing smell of spring water filled my nose…or nostrils…snout? Argh. This is so confusing!

"Okay. Let's have a look see."

What I saw startled me. I had taken the form of a horse. My coat was silver as well as my eyes. I had wings, perfectly folded on each side of me. I also had a horn on my forehead.

"So I'm now a winged unicorn? I though these didn't exist!" I exclaimed.

"Huh. A winged unicorn, huh? How the heck did I turn into this over-night? I didn't encounter a witch or warlock, if those even exist. Nor did I drink some weird potion or water…" I pondered.

While I wondered as to how I transformed, my senses started to reveal themselves to me. My ears started to hear more than I did before. A streaming current, bird's chirping in the distance, the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, and talking? Wheels turning?

My ears perked up as soon as I gasped, "A village?"

I ran quickly in the direction of the wheels and every now and then my wings would unfold and the wind resistance would cause me to fall head over hoof. Another problem was the horn; it would stop me from passing underneath hanging branches and cause me to land on my back from the resistance. Surprisingly, though, it didn't take me as long to learn to coordinate my feet or legs I suppose. I had always been fascinated as to how four-legged animals waked and ran.

All those books about animal biology paid off in the most bewildering way. I had even found a trick to it and it amused me to listen to the rhythmic beats of my own galloping. Soon I was riding..er galloping with the wind.

It wasn't long before the woods gave way to a path that lead in two directions. Obviously I was to go in the direction of the noises, but as I headed towards the village, I decided to walk and get reacquainted with myself. Judging by my size, I had to be at least nearly the age of an adult. I wondered if my size had any relation to my age as a human. My wings were also of the same color of my coat, only the feathers were lighter. They had the same plumage and shape of a Greek Pegasus. As for my horn, it glittered in the same shad as my coat and had a sort of spiral shape to it.

I tested my horn against a tree and found it was as sharp and pointy as I originally thought. My mane had strangely retained its raven shade of color. Like any horse, my mane flowed down from my neck and up to my head. Oddly enough, when I saw my reflection, the shape of my previous hair was present on my head instead of it being flat. The shape was of my previous hair style with a couple of defined strands of hair coming out in opposite directions, like that of candy canes. The front of my hair came together in a beveled-shaped triangle. Amidst all of my surprise and panicking, I didn't notice I retained features of my human form.

I had finally cleared the forest, and what I saw left me awe-struck. It was a village with colorful houses. To the left I saw fields full of vegetables and a gigantic apple orchid. To my right, I was a mountain that was hidden among the clouds as it rose to dizzying heights. In front of me was a tree that could only be described as unique. I t was full of windows and balconies for stargazing. Even the sky itself looked peculiar as it appeared more colorful than I have ever seen.

Aromas that are rarely seen together wafted into my nostrils. Different flavors of pies, the sweet smell of fresh apples, the earthly scent of ripe vegetables and the smell of spring all come to my mind. These smells only made me take deep breaths and never want to exhale it out, for fear of tainting the air with the odor of my breath. All of these sights, sounds, smells made me excited to meet the people that lived here, maybe even find someone that could help me. I galloped down the hill and made my way into the village.

Once I made into the village the first thing I noticed was the lack of residents. All the eye could see were ponies. Every pony in town was of a different color and were minding their own business. They almost appeared human seeing as they had different eye colors, hair styles, and breed.

From what I saw, there were ponies that were winged (Pegasi), ponies with horns (unicorns_, and plain 'ol ponies. I had almost thought I was in some horse sanctuary! But this was not the case. Every pony was doing something human-like. Some were selling their wares, be it odds and ends or organic products. Some of them were causally walking around or playing a game. Some were busy working in some way. Some were casually conversing with each other be it a specific topic or gossip. For that matter, ponies were whispering amongst each other, while others were staring at me. Now was the time to continue my tour around the village.

As I walked around and about, I came across some notable building. First was a farm called Sweet Acre Farm. It appeared that its main crop was apples as its apples trees were countless in numbers. The barn itself was huge with the color of apples for a base color and white trimmings. Out in the apple field I noticed a few ponies gathering apples by kicking the trees with her hind legs. I found the process fascinating and exciting. Rather than interrupt them, I moved along to another part of the village.

Where I found myself next was where a small cottage lay by itself, apart from the rest of village. Everywhere I looked I saw bird houses, holes in trees, nests, dens, and there was even a chicken coop. The air was filled with the relaxing voices of forest creatures. Birds were singing, squirrels were talking, and rabbits were scurrying about. Suddenly, I heard a pony singing and I hid myself. The pony, which turned out to be a pegasus, was singing with the birds while happily feeding them. I figured she lived in the lonely, but colorful cottage and was the caretaker of all the animals I saw. Rather than be caught eavesdropping, I snuck away quietly.

Once the coast was clear, I made my way into the village once more. The next notable place was a cake shop named Sugarcube Corner. The shop had a bubblegum pink color to it. It was more impressive inside though. Every wall was lined with desserts, but the room itself was filled with party décor. Balloons, streamers, confetti, everything expected to be in a party and more filled the shop space. Rather than partake in the festivities, I continued walking down the village.

Another notable building was a fashion boutique called the Carousal Boutique. When I peered into a window, I saw many different pony mannequins dressed with all sorts of lavish clothing. While admiring the clothes, I wondered if ponies even wore clothing. I would certainly want to see it, if possible. Continuing down my tour, I came across the giant tree filled with windows and balconies. It was literally a tree house, only the house wasn't built on the tree, but rather, within it. When I looked through a window, I saw walls adorned with countless books. Whoever lived there either loved to read or was a scholar. When I turned my gaze upwards, I saw a regular sized bed and a basket, the kind dogs would sleep in. Whoever lived there must have a pet.

"Well, this looks like a good place as any to investigate my condition," I said.

I made my way to the front door as I was about to knock, the door suddenly opened. Because of how sudden the door opened up, our head collided instantaneously.

"OW!"

"Ah!"

The pony that bumped into me answered quickly, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were outside the door! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be alright. Not the first time I bumped head with someone," I laughed.

"When I looked at the pony in front of me, I say a purple coat with lavender hair that had a violet streak through it. Her eyes were like mine but had a twinkle at the corner. She was a unicorn, which was noted because of her horn.

"Uh…" was all I could say.

"Haha. Are you okay?" she happily asked.

"Um…yeah. I'll be okay?"

"That's good to hear. So where are you from? I've never seen you around Ponyville."

"Ponyville? Is that the name of this village?"

"Well it's no more a village than a small town. Anyhow, seeing as you don't know about Ponyville, I'm guessing you're from somewhere far away?"

"Sorta. I suppose you could say that…"

"Hm…I can tell you have something to say. Why don't you come inside and I'll get you some tea?"

"Yeah. I'd like that," I graciously said.

"I can tell your story will be interesting one."

"How can you tell?"

"Well, first off, you are as big as I am, yet you have no cutie mark."

"Pardon?"

"A cutie mark. It's the symbol that tells us are one special talent."

When she said this, she told me to look at her cutie mark on her behind. It had a tattoo of sorts in the shape of stars.

"This is my cutie mark. See?"

"Yeah, fascinating. I thought it was a tattoo or a brand every pony had."

"Don't be silly. Everyone has one or will get one. Yet you don't have one. Anyway, the second reason is the most important."

"You are neither an Earth pony, Pegasus, nor Unicorn. You exhibit all three properties. I only know of two ponies like this. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. You are not royalty so you couldn't be from Canterlot."

"Canterlot? Is that where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna reside?"

"Well you are half-right. Princess Celestia does live and reign from Canterlot. Princess Luna resides in the moon."

"Whoah…"

"Whoah indeed. But please come in. Let's talk inside."

"Alright"

"Oh, right! My name is Twilight Sparkle. Welcome to Ponyville."


	3. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Even though I said I'd come inside and have tea, I still don't know who this pony is. She must be quite

friendly if she is inviting a complete stranger into her home. I should learn from her.

"Alright, now that the tea has been set, we have all day to discuss your predicament. Why don't you start?"

"Uh…alright then. Well my name is Tyson, but I prefer Tye."

"Oh? Do your friends call you Tye?" she asked.

Straight to the point, eh? This could be awkward, he thought. "Well they would if I had friends to begin with."

"Did you not have friends from where you from?"

"Well…no, I didn't. No matter how I tried, I couldn't seem to make any friends. I didn't know if had something to do with me or if people just didn't want me for a friend…" I said dejectedly.

"Oh…I'm sorry I asked something so insensitive," she quietly said.

"Don't be. I may not have friends, but I can still be friendly," I happily said.

She brightened up a little after hearing this. "Well why don't you start by telling me how you stumbled upon Ponyville?"

I proceeded to tell Twilight all the events that resulted in me being here; about how I ran away from home; about how I met the man on a horse, about what I thought turned me into a pony and my first impressions of Ponyville.

"Wow, that's quite a fascinating tale. It seems you had quite the ordeal. So you're saying that you were a, what was it you called it, a human? Then you somehow got turned into a pony?"

"Yes, that's right. I don't know how or why I turned into this. I didn't even think witchcraft was possible. Now, seeing as I look like this, I'll believe just about anything" I chuckled.

"You have to admit that your story is pretty farfetched. Anyone would think that you are being utterly ludicrous. But seeing as I've seen and experienced plenty of things that can't be explained, I'm inclined to believe you."

I smiled. "Thanks Twilight, you're a nice pony for believing me."

"Oh, think nothing of it. Everyone needs to have some pony in order to be happy. Don't you think?"

I couldn't help but blush when she said this. "Yeah, I suppose so. Maybe that's why I ran away from home. I really didn't have anybody that cared. My folks didn't really care about me and I didn't have any friends. I just got tired and decided to take a bus as far as I possibly could, to see if I could start anew. Looks like I got more than I bargained for, didn't I?" I laughed.

"It would seem so." She giggled. "So seeing as you have no one, how about I show you around Ponyville? While we're at it, we'll see if the mayor can find you a place to stay while we look for a way to help you."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose. After all, you don't know me and I'd find it troubling if you went so far for a stranger…"

"Don't be silly. It would be my pleasure to show you around. I was just like you when I came to Ponyville for the first time."

"I'm touched by your generosity, Miss Twilight. I'd very much appreciate it if you were to show me around."

She embarrassingly said, "Please. Just call me Twilight Sparkle or just Twilight. You can call me by my name so long as I can call you Tye"

Surprised, I responded, "You want to call me Tye?"

"Of course. We are being quite friendly after all," she said with a smile.

I couldn't help but shine when she said this. "Yes, we are being quite friendly aren't we?"

"I hope I'm not being to forward with you?" she shyly said.

"What are you talking about, Twilight? After saying all that, now you want to start regretting being so friendly?"

Now it was her turn to blush and be embarrassed. "No no no. I just didn't want to come across as being pushy."

"Well Twilight, it's a little late for that, now isn't it? I'm already excited to be taken around Ponyville!"

With that, I started walking towards the door, but I realized something and quickly walked back.

"Uh…right, you were going to show me around, not me"

At this, we both laughed, but I was the one who was at glee for making a friend for the first time.

She took me around Ponyville, explaining the things that I didn't get a chance to see. She seemed rather surprised that I already knew some of the places that housed her other friends. The places that I did look upon but did not get a chance to look in, were Sugarcube Corner, the cake shop and the Carousel Boutique, a fashion design shop. She said that I'd soon get to meet her friends that lived here. I wasn't really paying attention to her when she mentioned them because I was too busy enjoying the tour.

As we walked more around Ponyville, we eventually came upon the Mayor's house. Twilight explained that if there was any place available for residence, she would know.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Tyson!" she greeted.

I embarrassingly answered, "Err…thanks. It's a pleasure to be here in Ponyville, Mayor."

"Yes, Mayor, do you think there is anywhere that Tye could live in? It seems he will be staying in Ponyville for a while."

"Why yes, I suppose we could find you a place for you to stay in Ponyville. I hereby welcome you to our fabulous little town in Equestria. Why don't you go and look around some more while I look for an appropriate place for you to reside in. Be back here at sunset and we'll have you set up nicely."

"Why thank you. I couldn't be any happier for this generous offer. Thank you, Mayor" I said.

We excused ourselves from her and we headed back to Twilight's tree. While we were walking back, I asked some questions.

"Equestria? Is that a country?"

"Actually, Equestria is a kingdom ruled by our beloved Princess Celestia"

This made me confused. "So you are saying that Ponyville resides in a kingdom called Equestria and is ruled by a Princess Celestia?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, I am her star pupil," she beamed.

"Woah! You studied with her? Like, as in she was your teacher?" I exclaimed.

"Yes! She was my favorite teacher. I was assigned to come down here to study about friendship. Back in Equestria, I didn't have any friends. I was always dedicated to my studies. After coming here, I met new ponies and made friends and I couldn't be happier."

"Is that so? That's quite a tale," I said in awe.

"Well seeing as you will have some place for you to stay and you know your way around town, you won't need me anymore." She said.

"What are you talking about, Twilight? I couldn't have got this far without your help. It's only fair that you see through this to the end. If you don't I'll be sure to take some of your books and not give them back until I finish reading them," I joked.

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess I have no choice. But I didn't know you were a reader Tye."

"Sure I am. You could say I dabble in the scholarly arts." I said.

"Oh, really? I guess I couldn't have found a better friend. Would you like to borrow some books then? Then we can discuss them over tea. You could even tell me some stories from where you are from," she hopefully said.

"Really? I was just joking, you know, about the books I mean. If you insist, then I can't refuse. I could use a good book to help me get to bed tonight. Today has been quite an ordeal."

"I imagine. I don't think I've ever heard of this ever occurring. Well anyway, let's set you up with some books."

As we walked back to the tree, Twilight filled me in on the history of her living space. It had turned out that the giant tree was the library of the village. It was Princess Celestia who gave her the library to live in. I asked her to recount the tale of how she came to live in Ponyville, but she said it was getting late and that she would save it for another day; something to look forward to she said. I was really interested but I had no choice but to acquiesce to her comment. She just giggled and looked like she enjoyed teasing me.

Once we arrived, I gave the library another look over. It was a multi-story living space. She had a bed and a basket on the second floor located in another room. Everywhere else had shelves after shelves filled with books with some wooden ladders here and there. Her windows had designs of flowers as well her walls having fancy vine motifs. Heck, she had shrubbery in lying by windows that gave this tree a feel of nature. Even her staircase had heart designs on the sides of the steps. In one corner there was a tall shelf filled with plates and a pitcher though I wondered if they were for decoration or for actual use. Next to it I also saw a fireplace for those cold nights and a circular table that had a stallion's head. The head reminded me of how Trojan horses may have looked. I wondered what kind of history these ponies had while I examined the bust.

Satisfied with the bust, I moved over to examine some books on the walls while I waited for Twilight, who was currently setting some more tea. Some of the books I saw where basic How-To manuals for the most trivial things. These manuals ranged from how to be a good studier to how to have a slumber party. I thought these manuals were pointless seeing as how these things that just came naturally to people. But this was a library after all. On that note, I also spied some scrolls on upper shelves and books that looked really difficult.

I moved to the podium and noticed a book lying on it. I thought that Twilight was reading it.

"Say, Twilight. How do you reach for all the books that are lined everywhere?" I inquired.

She had just finished setting everything up and was pouring the tea when she said, "Why, with magic of course. How else?"

"Magic? As in, magic that is cast with spells?"

"Yes. I studied magic back in Canterlot. It comes with being a unicorn."

"Ah, I see. So then that means this horn of mine isn't just for show then?"

"Yes, I was wondering about that. You are unicorn and a pegasus so I assume you can do some magic. Seeing as you just suddenly became what you are now, I can assume that you don't know how to use magic, right?"

"Well yeah. I don't know how to use my magic."

"Well don't worry. I'm sure we can get you someone to teach the basics."

"Oh! Why don't you teach me?"

"Me? Why me?"

"Well you are a unicorn. You also said you studied under Princess Celestia. So that must mean you are a knowledgeable person all on your own. I'd trust you to teach me."

She was flustered as she responded, "I don't know what to say. I've always been a student, never a teacher. Even then, I'm still studying, always striving to learn more. I can't possibly teach you magic…"

I said with a soft smile, "Don't be so modest, Twilight. I trust you with my education. You've proven that you can teach any pony anything."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, just look at all of the books in this library. I'm sure you read all of these. Then there's the fact that you studied under Princess Celestia. That counts for something, no doubt about that. So in any case, I pick you to be my teacher," I said with a happily.

Twilight must have blushed from this as her face suddenly turned red. Then she settled down and said, "Well if you insist then I'll teach all I know on how to control you magic. We'll save the lessons until after you have settled down in your new home. For now, let's just enjoy some teach and cake I just got from Sugar Cube Corner."

I happily agreed and we ate the delicious cake that was served. We talked until it was time for me to go back to meet the Mayor. Sadly, Twilight could only accompany me to the town hall for she had something to attend to. All I could do was thank her and say I couldn't wait until my first lesson with her. She agreed and went on her way. Although as she left I couldn't help but noticed that she had an air of happiness and maybe a bit more. But then I just dismissed it and proceeded to meet the Mayor.

She was waiting for me outside as she greeted me.

"Greetings Tyson! Right on time I see. I like that. Now then, let's get you settled in your new home."

The Mayor led me down a road that took me to the outskirts near where I originally entered Ponyville from the forest. It was the house that was closest to the edge of town. It wasn't very impressive, but then again, I was new so I had no right to complain. The house was only one story high, unlike many of the houses that populated Ponyville. It had a roof made only of tightly woven hay that was supported by strong wooden branches that acted as the frame. Its walls were painted to look like the rest of the village; a pale cream with the edges of the walls being brown. Personally, it looked like there was a good chance for it to have a second floor built over it. I pushed that thought aside though. I would need money in order for me to do any possible construction.

"This will be your new home from now on. I hope you will be comfortable in your new home. Please ask me if there is anything you may find lacking," she said.

"Thanks, really! I'm sure this will do nicely. I'm sorry for being a burden on your town." I said.

"Think nothing of it. No need for you to feel as if you are a burden. Here in Ponyville, we all live happily and help each other whenever needed. You are now a proud member of this little village of happy ponies."

"Thank you so much. It means a lot to know that. Well then, have a good day Mayor,"

She waived as she was left and then I was alone in front of my new home.

"Hmm….Well this place has much potential. I'm going to see if I can't find any paint to repaint my home. As much as I like the current scheme, I'd like to be able to have a unique home seeing as I'll be for a while." I said with a weak laugh.

Home, huh?

With that thought, I felt very tired all of a sudden. I pushed the door open with a hoof and caught sight of the amenities of this house. The interior was painted with a navy blue color scheme with silver curtains hanging on the windows. The furniture was a simple collection of basic household needs: a table, a couple of stools and sofa, some cupboards, shelves and a simple kitchen. The kitchen was simple with its sink and stove and its pots and pans lined along the wall. It even came with a refrigerator fully stocked too! Even though it had been a while since I ate anything, I didn't really feel hungry. I just grabbed some celery and carrots and munched on them before going to bed. The smell of the forest that filled the house made me feel strangely at ease as I crept my way into the bedroom.

The bedroom was also simple as well. The window was located on the side that the sun set so that would provide with a natural clock, although there was a clock on the wall with the door leading to the living room. There was a night table next to the bed and a chest against the other end of the bed. I spotted an empty cupboard made of simple mahogany wood. It felt smooth when I rubbed it with my hoof. It wasn't much of a room that was something to be proud of, but if could earn some money, I could turn this house into something I could be happy to live in. For now, I was just happy to have a roof over my head and bead to lie in.

Surprisingly, I did not have any difficulty climbing into bed. I stared at the red blanket as I pondered how to get in. I finally just opened the blanket with my teeth and climbed in, hind legs following the fore legs. I was amazed at how dexterous my hooves were. I could easily use them as if they had fingers. I never knew hooves could be so nimble. Though with everything that's happened, I shouldn't be surprised anything anymore.

I thought about everything that's happened today: me transforming into a stallion pony, seeing Ponyville for the first time, exploring Ponyville, meeting Twilight Sparkle….

Wait. Why is my face suddenly hot?

"Twilight Sparkle was cute. I'm sure she is also smart and talented. Glad I have a friend like her. I hope I meet new ponies and make more friends tomorrow." I happily said.

With a sigh and a smile, I closed my eyes and let sleep over take me. Tomorrow would be another day full of adventure and excitement.


	4. Chapter 3

Rodriguez

Ch. 3

As the sun started to rise, birds began to rise up into the turquoise sky, welcoming the new day. Birds of varying colors flew here and there singing there thanks to the one that brought the new day. A lone small bird flew away from its pack and skydived into a window that was propped open. Its maroon plumage gave the room a fresh color to compliment the pale blue that surrounded the walls. The lone bird ruffled its feathers in anticipation as it felt the need to awaken the stallion that was asleep. Although the bird was timid, it couldn't help but sing with all its heart out, a clear and melodious song, eager for the male pony to complement its singing. As the stallion quietly stirred, the bird was nearing the end of its song and once the silver stallion stretched its fore hooves up he gave a bright smile towards the small bird. Satisfied, the bird gave a boy and a chirp and flew off to find its flock.

"Haaaaaa~ What a wonderful way to wake up to a new day. Wonder if all of Ponyville gets their own special way of waking up to a new day? Sure wish the bird could wake me every day. I'd be a happy person."

After flexing my body, I walked to bathroom, adjacent to the room I had slept in and quickly dunked my face into the clear and refreshing water that was in the basin.

"Oh right, I'm still a pony, huh? I wish this was all a dream, but at the same time, I don't. I actually like it here. As scary it is to meet completely new people, I want to try and make friends here. I don't want to go back and have no one…"

I let out a heavy sigh and went to the kitchen to approach the refrigerator. This was to be my first difficulty adjusting to this body: opening doors. Without opposable thumbs, all I had were hooves and teeth. So without a second thought, I went towards the handle and pulled on it with my mouth. The door surprisingly opened with little resistance. Getting the food that was stored would be the second challenge, for this horn of mine would get in the way of picking up vegetables. Of course, there were other foods stored in the cupboards. There were ingredients stored for baking pastries, seasonings for adding flare to dishes, and assorted nuts for simple snacks or for toppings on foods. Although these were all stored in their proper bags and were too high for me to reach. It was as if something was needed in order to reach it. Regardless, I settled for the raw vegetables that were available and used my horn to skewer them in order to reach it.

"Seeing as I'm a pony, I assume being an herbivore is a requirement. Awh…I'm going to miss eating hot dogs," I disappointedly said.

After eating the carrots, celery, and broccoli, I opened the door and gazed into a normal Ponyville morning. There were ponies of all colors going everywhere, minding their own business. Some were eating at a local diner. Others were making purchases from stalls and wagons that were selling groceries. The local merchandise caught my interest and I decided to take a close look. The male pony was grey and had a black mane had resembled a long fohawk. His cutie mark resembled three gold coins stacked together precariously. The female pony was pink and curly pink bubble gum hair. Her cutie mark resembled three party balloons, a yellow one above and flanked by two sky blue balloons.

"Two bits!" the pink pony yelled.

"Four bits!" the grey pony hollered

"Two bits!"

"Four bits!"

"Four bits!" she yelled

"Two bits!" the male retorted

Wait. What?

"I said four bits and that's my final offer!" she continued.

"And I said two bits! Take it or leave it!" he cried.

"Okay then." She smiled happily.

With a giggle and a satisfied smile, she tossed the stall owner two gold coins and trotted away from him with her bag of groceries. The owner looked triumphant, sure that he had got the most he wanted, until he looked confused, startled that he was fast talked into agreeing into selling his crops for half the price.

I congratulated her, "Wow. You are good, Miss."

When she opened her eyes and looked at me, she paused for a moment looking confused, gasped with a wide mouth, dropped her bag of carrots, and dashed away in the other direction. She ran off leaving only a cloud of dust in her wake.

"This is a first. Usually people ignore me or say few words before walking away. Here I thought all the ponies were nice in Ponyville. Guess I look scary seeing as I'm different from everyone else." I dejectedly said.

With a sad sigh, I hanged my head as I proceeded on.

At least Twilight's lesson on magic will lift my spirits.

Thinking that, my mood was renewed and I hurried towards the library.

As soon as I had arrived, I knocked on the door and waited for a reply. A minute had passed and there was not even a reply of a resident. It wasn't until I had just given up until someone had opened the door, or rather, something. The one had opened the door for me was a small dragon, no bigger than an average dog.

"What can I do for you?" he casually said.

I couldn't even reply to his question. My mouth was left hanging as I stared at the dragon. He was a purple dragon with green eyes, spinal scales, and belly. My mind was left rattled by the fact that this dragon was inside Twilight's home. I did not know whether to be scared, alarmed, or surprised.

So was this this the owner of the basket across Twilight's bed? I pondered.

"Uh…Hello? Anyone home in there?" he asked while waving his hand in my dumbfounded face.

Despite all of my mixed emotions and reactions, the only thing that came out of my mouth was a quiet, "So cool…"

"Finally! Some respect around here!" he exclaimed.

Now it was my turn to be confused by his behavior, "Uh…what?"

"I'm Spike, Twilight Sparkle's best friend and assistant. Are you new here?"

"Yeah, I just arrived yesterday," I said softly. Even though he appeared to be friendly, I couldn't help but be wary of this small dragon. My old habits were already kicking in as we were speaking.

"Don't talk much, do you? You remind of an even quieter pony, heheh. Anyway, what's your name?"

I had finally got over my initial shock and said, "I'm Tyson. Tye to my friends."

"Tye, huh? Cool. So tell me, what are you doing here at the library? Want to check out a book?"

"Uh..no. Actually I was here to meet Twilight for lessons on how to use magic. Do you know where she is?"

"Oh, Twilight? She was scheduled to talk to her friends today. According to list here she wrote down that she was going to meet Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash at Sugar Cube corner. Then go to Sweet Apple Acres to deliver some materials for Apple Jack followed by helping count Fluttershy's bunnies at her house. After, she was going to receive a dress Rarity made her and finally come back home to update her schedule. Typical Twilight, if you ask me, though nothing I'm used to."

"Man, that's some schedule! Guess it's my fault for not asking Twilight when I was supposed to meet her today, if at all for my lessons."

I let out a long sigh and hanged my head. Here I was ready and eager to learn and Twilight goes and books herself solid with things to do. I wonder if this is normal? Guess I have no choice but to follow her trail.

"Is this normal of her, Spike? Does she always have a solid schedule?" I asked.

"Yeah, you could say this is normal. Most days she is either reading outside or inside worrying about something, studying or organizing."

"Ah, I see. A real workaholic, huh?"

"Yeah, you can say that again. She even drags me into here vortex of organizing. It's not all bad, though. We'll sometimes work on her spells and she'll cast something amazing, proving she is best spellcaster here in Ponyville."

"She's that spectacular, huh?"

"You betcha!"

"Guess that must make you quite the celebrity if you work with someone that spectacular."

"Well, you know….I am pretty amazing, aren't I?"

"You certainly are cool."

"Stick with me Tye and you too can be as cool as me," he said proudly.

I humored him as I said, "Heh, thanks Spike. It's a pleasure to know you. I'll be counting on you to make as cool as you. Anyway, can you point me to where Twilight would be right now?"

He looked closely at the schedule Twilight made him write up, "Hmm….I couldn't tell you in all honesty. She didn't set any specific time frames. You'll just have to follow her trail and hope you run into her. Other than that, you can just wait for to come back."

I thought about this idea. On the one hand, if I stayed here, I'd be able to meet Twilight for sure. On the other hand, I'd be able to explore Ponyville more and possibly meet new friends. I laughed to myself as the thought of making new friends fantasized in my head.

"Well? What's it gonna be?" he asked.

"Think I'll just follow her trail. Thanks for the tip Spike" I said graciously.

"No problem. See you around Tye!" he yelled as I walked off.

"He's a cool guy..er…dragon. Either way, that's one more friend for me."

With a smile, I trotted off into the direction of Twilight's first stop: Sugarcube Corner.

"Man, just looking at this place makes me drool…."

Sugarcube Corner was quite the impressive dessert shop. It was clearly a dessert shop since the sign it had hanging on a bar was a pink cupcake with sprinkles. It nearly looked like a gingerbread house with its gingerbread like roof and frosting roof. The walls were of a pale cream color with pink colored windows. On one side of the roof of the store was a candy cane bunch, attached to a beam sticking out of the roof, as if it was a lamp or decoration. The other side had a potted flower that was sitting on the roof and not on the beam that was sticking out.

Inside was even more deliciously colorful. The entire room was like a pastry wonderland. Display stands had cupcakes ready for eating as soon as they were purchased. Inside a display window were lollipops with red swirls and candied apples. Even the walls themselves were candy-themed with their cherry tops and ice cream swirls for stair ornaments. This was a candy and dessert lover's dream.

As I entered Sugarcube Corner, I spotted a sky-blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. She was munching on a rainbow colored cupcake, possible because she wanted to be cool, or possibly for irony's sake. Her maroon eyes were glittering as she finished up the last of her cupcake and with a thanks and salute, she flew towards the door. As she headed towards me, I thought fast and side jumped in order to doge her quick flying, but she clipped me and ended up running into the wall head first.

"Whoa! Why don't you watch where you're going you chump!" she yelled.

"Who're you calling a chump? If anything you're the one that dashed into me. You with your lame rainbow colored mane and tail!"

"Heh. Obviously you have not heard of the great Rainbow Dash!" she said proudly.

"Wait, you're Rainbow Dash?"

"As sure as my cutie mark is cool"

She showed her flank to me and on it was a rain cloud with a lightning bolt protruding from it. Interesting enough, the lightning bolt was a rainbow color as well. She was all about the rainbows it would seem.

"That's a cool cutie mark," I said.

"See? Even you can admit to my greatness. There isn't anything I can't do."

"Except magic"

"…what?"

"You heard me?"

"Are you saying I can't do magic?"

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

"WhWhy you…! I'm much more magic than magic itself!"

"Alright. Then why not put your hoof where your mouth is?

"Fine! I challenge you to a race! You got wings, so let's see you beat me in a match of speed."

"Ohhh, a race, huh? Been a while since I did that sort of stuff. But I'll refuse."

"What's wrong? You chicken?"

"Nope. Only a cocky pony would use such taunts. You wanna race? Let's see you race with nothing but a simple run," I jeered.

"Fine. We do this tomorrow then. Be there or forever admit my greatness!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

And with that, she fluttered off into the sky. Where she sped off I couldn't really tell.

"Man, one day after I arrive and already I'm going up against the town's cockiest pony. What have I gotten myself into?" I said despairingly.

I left Sugarcube Corner and slowly walked towards the apple farm. I couldn't help but be depressed. On the one hand, I had managed to escalate things by making her race me through hooves only. On the other, I had lost my cool and even went so far as to mock her into racing me. That was a first for me.

"What kind of guy am I to even let her get to me? But no matter how much I might not like her, I do have to admit that she had a cool air about her with her mane style and cutie mark. Wonder what mine is supposed to be. If everyone has one, does that mean I'll have one too?" I muttered.

As these thoughts swirled around my head, I found myself in front of Sweet Apple Acres. It was still the same apple farm I saw when I arrived. Even though they had other crops growing, their main produce was apples. Their apples trees stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Now that I think about it, who was that pony that was bucking against a tree? Does that pony work here?" I pondered.

There wasn't time to dwell on that thought, for I was looking for Twilight. I moved past the gate and looked around the farm. I pushed open the barn but no one was inside. I went around the side to find a door but when I knocked, no one answered. All that was left was for me to go into the apple fields and hope someone could point me in the right direction.

It wasn't even a minute from when I entered the apple field when I heard a cry of excitement.

"Yeeehaw!"

I saw a beautiful sun glow pony running towards a tree with buckets lined around the trunk of the tree. As I was about to yell at her to watch out, she suddenly began to stop herself and used the slide's momentum as she pivoted to kick with her hind legs, causing the loose apples to fall neatly into the buckets. She then stood there, hanging her head up with pride.

I stood there just mesmerized by her actions. She wore a copper colored cowboy hat that had a sort of crescent hole at the front end of it. Her blond mane and tail were neatly each with a single red band. Her cutie mark showed three apples, fitting seeing as she was working with apples.

I snapped out of my trance and approached her, "Hello, allow me to introduce myself: I'm Tyson. Tye to my friends."

She quickly turned around and started to shake my front hoof quickly and endlessly, "Well howdy do, Mr. Tye. A pleasure making your acquaintance. I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like making new friends."

I stuttered my words as I tried saying, "Friends? I..uh…."

She winked as she said, "So? What can I do you for?"

Now my face as I started to become flustered. I recovered and tried to get back into my pace before succumbing to hers. "Well, I was hoping you could point me in the direction of Twilight's whereabouts. I've been looking for her since this morning."

"Well shoot, you just missed her. She came here dropping off some supplies I asked of her."

"Oh? Is that so?" I said glumly.

"Well cheer up now. You'll find her, no worries. Seeing as you are new, why don't you try a sample of our food here?" she said hopefully.

"Well…as long as it doesn't take too long."

She then dashed over towards a triangle used to bring attention to the ringer. She then yelled, "SOUPS ON EVERY PONY!"

I then suddenly had a sinking before I was pushed along by three other ponies. Then I stopped in front of a table.

"Let me start by introducing you to the Apple family. This here is Big Macintosh"

A big red stallion with autumn colored mane and tail came over and brought over a cupcake with an apple slice placed on top of it. He placed the cupcake in front of me for me to eat. As he walked back where he stood, I noticed his cutie mark was a big green apple.

"Here's Apple Bloom."

A small pony came around in front of the table and presented herself carrying a chocolate cake with mint frosting and a whole apple placed on tope on her back. She had a red colored mane and tail with a cute pink ribbon tied around her mane. What really caught my attention was that she had no cutie mark.

Need to make a note of that for later.

"And finally, Grandma Smith."

Where Applejack pointed was a grass-colored old pony sleeping in her rocking chair. Her white mane was tied into a big bun as well as her tail. Her rocking made me catch her cutie mark, which was an apple pie in a pan. She was snoring soundly until Applejack called out to her, mentioning there was a guest present. She then woke up startled and confused. But she quickly recovered and slowly walked over, mumbling sleepy nonsense.

Applejack then placed her hoof over my shoulder and said, "Why, I'd say you're already apart of the family."

Now I really felt that my face was on fire as I quickly said, "Ahaha. Okay, well this has been nice and all, but I really must get going."

Apple Bloom then disappointingly said, "Aren't you going to stay for lunch?"

With her big eyes pleading at me, there was no way that I could refuse to stay.

"Well…maybe just a little bit," I reluctantly said.

Everyone then gave a yell of delight and then we started feasting on the food that was placed in front of me.

"Well shoot, never seen any pony eat so much of our apple delights. You sure are something, hon."

Applejack was escorting me out, though it felt more like I was trudging my way towards the gate rather than walking.

"No, I really enjoyed the treats you served. They certainly were delicious."

"Well feel free to come on back and have another. Or if you're interested, we could always use another pony to help with the farm."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mine, Applejack."

With that, I walked towards my next destination thanks to Applejack's directions: Fluttershy's house.

"If I remember correctly, it was the house with dozens of animal homes."

Now that I knew what to look for, I hurried on to her house in hopes of finding Twilight

"Yeah, this is definitely the place," I said.

In front of me was house that had animal housings surrounding it. There was a tree that had bird houses and nests; a home for a rabbit; bushes for woodland creatures; there was even a hole under the bridge that led to her home. She really had a love for animals. Just looking at her house gave it an air of queen of the forest.

I crossed over the stream and knocked on the door. No answer.

Hm…no one home. Guess Twilight isn't here either.

Seeing as no one was home, I started back towards the Carousel Boutique. Heading back wasn't a problem until I heard some singing ahead of me. It had almost sound like a choir the way all of the voices mixed together.

When I had finally found the source of the singing, I had found Fluttershy conducting a choir of birds. For what reason, I had no clue, but I did know that it sounded marvelous. Though from what I heard, one of the birds sounded a bit flat.

Fluttershy then flew towards the bird in question and chided the bird for being too strong in its volume. I had thought she noticed the pitch problem but I suppose she didn't catch it.

"Nothing wrong with correcting music problems, right?" I whispered.

I then, slowly walked towards the choir and its conductor. As I approached, it turned out that the bird that had the pitch problem was the bird that awoke me this morning. The bird appeared excited and flew towards me. Fluttershy appeared distraught as her member had suddenly broke formation and flew towards the unknown, the unknown being me. As soon as she noticed that I was behind her, she scared herself into landing on the ground and shrunk herself in fear.

"Oh, um…please don't be scared. I was just looking for you, Miss Fluttershy. I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of where I could find Twilight Sparkle?" I said.

"Um….." she quietly said.

The fear in her eyes made it seem as if I was attacking her or if I was some sort of monster.

"Err…well, yes I do admit I look rather intimidating, but I really am a nice guy. My name is Tyson. Tye to my friends. Please to meet you.

"yes…." she meekly said.

"Excuse me?"

She didn't respond. She just kept looking at me while looking frightened.

"Yes, well, I'm sorry to have disturb you. I didn't mean to interrupt this lovely singing. I guess, this little guy remembered me."

She began to become less frightened as I mentioned her choir member. "How do you know him?" she said, very softly.

"He woke me up this morning. I could tell he was looking for someone to listen to him. All I did was give him a smile in appreciation and applause and then he flew off. I never knew that he was a part of a choir. I am impressed."

"Really? This is nothing, to be sure." She had gained even more confidence as I was talking about her bird friend.

"No, honest, you have great talent as a conductor. Why, I bet you have a lovely singing voice youself," I complimented.

She blushed. "No, I..I'm nothing."

I smiled. "Don't be silly. You must have a kind heart in order to take care of so many animals. I'm a bit of an animal lover myself."

After hearing this, she was talking to me normally and with some enthusiasm. "Really? You love animals too?" she said. Then she suddenly looked embarrassed. "Oh! You saw my house. It's a mess. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"No no. I'm sorry for intruding without saying anything. I should have tried to call out for anyone before entering. I did knock on your door but there was no one present. So then I came back and found well, this."

The bird that had awoken me suddenly became irritated and began to peck at my head. Crying for attention.

"Oh, it seems she has taken a liking to you. Now now. You mustn't do that to Mr. Tyson," Fluttershy reprimanded.

"Oh no, it's okay. I'm used to it. I'm sorry little lady. Please take care of me from now on. I'll be sure to listen to your songs whenever you want me to. Feel free to wake me in the morning so that I can awaken to lovely music as well."

At this, the bird sang a happy tune and return to the bird choir group, right where she was. I laughed a little at the bird's selfishness and as I turned my gaze back towards Fluttershy, I caught her staring at me with glittering eyes.

"Um, Fluttershy? Is there something wrong with me?"

She snapped out of her trance and hurriedly said, "Oh no! Nothing is wrong! Please pay me no mind!" she awkwardly said, trying her best to hide her face.

"Oh, okay. Well I must be going then. It was a pleasure meeting you. Oh, there is one thing I must say…"

I walked toward her ear. She stood rigid in surprise as I said, "Please help that nice lady with her voice. It seems to be a little flat."

"Oh! Really? I hadn't noticed!"

"It's okay. It's an honest mistake. Good luck Miss Fluttershy."

With a smile and a bow, I walked towards my next destination, but Fluttershy interjected with, "Um…please come back and help with my animal friends, Mr. Tyson!"

"Oh. Just Tyson is fine."

"Not Tye…?"

"Er…yes, that's fine. You can call me Tye."

"Okay. You can just call just call me Fluttershy," she said quietly.

"Alright. Then I'll come back another time to help you out." I said happily.

I then started off to the Carousel Boutique. Fluttershy mumbled, "Oh. You can come just come and see me, if you want…"

"Let's see now. I've already met, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. The only ones I have yet to meet are Pinkie Pie and Rarity. I wonder if they are both at the Carousel Boutique."

I had traveled from one end of Ponyville to the other in order to find the fashion shop I saw during my first time in Ponyville. I entered and there didn't seem to be anybody in at the moment. Looking at it closely, it really did have a feel to a tailor or fashion store. There was a small round stage with three mirrors surrounding it. In a corner there were pony mannequins that were modeling dresses and saddles with fancy designs. Although it mostly for the ladies, there were a couple male themed clothing being displayed. All around there were cupboards, probably filled with materials needed to make clothing, measuring utensils, or sewing kits. On another side of the room was a staircase leading towards a second floor. I couldn't tell if it lead to a second floor of the boutique or to another place altogether. Whatever the case, no one was home at the moment.

"Guess that's that. Time to head back to the library."

I said that, but as soon as I turned around to make my exit, there stood a glowing white unicorn with royal purple mane and tail. Her sapphire eyes sparkled as she gazed at me.

"And just who might you be?" she asked

"Uh…"

"Well if you are going to be so rude, I'll have to kindly ask you to leave my shop. I have a ton of work I must do," she demanded.

"Oh! Forgive my manners. My name is Tyeson."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Tyeson. I'm Rarity. What brings you to the Carousel Boutique?"

"I was looking for Twilight Sparkle, actually. She's not here so I'll be on my way."

"What's the hurry? Stay a while. You're new aren't you? You just have to let me design something for you. Why with your figure, I have endless inspiration!"

Rarity than began pushing me towards the stage. Her horn began to glow in the color of her eyes and then everything began to float and move at her command. She began to outfit me in a saddle that showed off my wings followed with a tie that complimented my coat color. The saddle was of a raven color like my mane with red and blue gems lining the rim. The tie was of a red color as well.

"Um…if I may suggest something?" I hesitatingly asked.

"What is it, dear?" she replied.

"Well, don't you think this is a bit much?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well as you can see, my coat is silver, so wouldn't cool colors suit me better? I don't mean to interrupt your genius creativity. I just wanted to put in my opinion."

"Why, of course! Whatever was I thinking? This is far too warm for you. You deserve better than this. I'm impressed you noticed this before I did…."

"Oh no, don't worry, I'm not an expert in all of this. I just happen to know a thing or two about fashion."

She gasped. "Really know? It's so hard to find someone that shares my artistic vision in this drab place called Ponyville. If it wasn't for me, Ponyville would be a far less fashionable place to be in."

"Oh I'm sure. I've seen some of the fashionable items that the ponies wear in Ponyville. Only a person such as yourself could make people where those things."

She suddenly looked teary-eyed. "I think you and I will be getting close, Tye. I do hope to see you more often from now on."

"I'd like that, but if you don't mind, I need to get going. I'll try this on tomorrow. I'll let you work on it. I'm sure you'll craft a masterpiece." I said

"You're right! I can do much better than this. I will see you again tomorrow then, Tye. Please do not keep a lady waiting now," she lectured.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Rarity. Until then, please excuse me."

I left as fast as I could. As much as I enjoyed fashionable clothes, I don't think I could handle modeling saddles and suits all day. I had an arrangement with Twilight and I was going to see it through.

Back at the tree house, I made it to the front door, nearly exhausted. I had met just about everybody except for Twilight. I was hoping that she'd be home otherwise I'd have to go home, depressed and betrayed. The last thing I wanted to do was go home empty-handed. With those scary thoughts, I tentatively knocked and to my relief, Twilight did answer.

"Tye! What took you so long? I've been waiting all day to see you."

"Are you kidding me Twilight? I've been going around all of Ponyville just to find you! I thought we were going to practice magic."

"Oh! I didn't know you were looking for me. To be honest, I thought I would finish everything before you could arrive. It's my fault for not properly setting my schedule."

"Well that doesn't matter now. What matters is that we're both here and we can get to working on my magical education."

She started to brighten up. "Of course. You're right Tye. Shall we go inside and get started immediately?"

"Yeah, let's."

We went inside the tree house and began my lesson in magic.


	5. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

"So how was your trip around Ponyville as you searched for me?" she said with a sly smile.

"How mean of you Twilight! I went through all of Ponyville just to look for you!" I protested.

She giggled. "I take it that you met all of my friends then?"

"I sure met them alright," remembering every encounter. "Well, that is not entirely true. I didn't meet Pinkie Pie. I had thought she was going to be at Sugarcube Corner, but she wasn't. Instead, I had a rough run in with Rainbow Dash."

"Oh? How was it rough?"

"Well…we did sort of have an argument…"

"Oh no. Did her hot headedness get the better of her?"

"Yeah. It was my fault for letting myself get worked up by her cockiness."

"What did happen?"

"Well we had an exchange and it turned into a competition to see who is better. Now I've entered myself into a race against her."

"A race? A flying race I assume?"

"No, I manage to talk her into a normal leg race."

"Wow. Impressive. It's pretty difficult to get Rainbow Dash to agree once she gets worked up like that. I guess I'll have to go and cheer you on, now won't I?"

I was surprised. "Wait. You would do that? I mean, you are picking sides after all."

"Of course. Rainbow Dash needs to be taken down a notch every now and then," she said with a wink.

I blushed. "Wow, thanks Twilight."

An awkward silence began to fill the room. It's as if the both of us were too embarrassed to say anything even though nothing truly embarrassing was said.

"Ahem. Let's continue with my education, shall we?"

She could as well. "Er…yes. Let's begin then."

"So, what do you know about magic, Tye?"

"I know that I believe in it now that I have come to live here."

"Very funny. I mean, do you have any idea as to how it can be cast?"

"No. I've always seen magic cast using incantations."

"So you have seen magic being cast before?"

"Well…not in the sense you may think."

"Okay. Let's begin by gauging your magical potential. Since you don't have a cutie mark, we have to do this in order to understand what you are capable of."

"What would a cutie mark prove?"

"Well, cutie marks tells us what we our special talents are. Take mine for example. Mine shows that my special skill is magic itself. There are other unicorns that can use magic, but their magic is limited to what their special skill is. Let's examine Rarity's magic. Her magic is limited to helping her with her fashion designs."

The gravity of the subject was starting to dawn on me. "I see…And because I don't have a cutie mark, I currently have no way to determine my magic potential. It'd be cool if I was like you Twilight."

"We shall see. Now, let's begin with a simple spell that any unicorn can do: levitation. Go ahead and try to lift this apple I set down on the table."

In front of me, sitting on the table, was a normal red apple. It was normally shaped and looked ripe for eating.

"Okay. How can I do that?" I asked.

Twilight began to explain the mechanics of magic, "To put it simply, magic requires focus on the act of the magic's purpose. You need to imagine yourself lifting the apple from where it sits. Focus that image and will yourself to move it. Be careful of the intensity of your focus. Don't want the apple to smash into the ceiling now."

Focus she says. It's easier said than done. Might as well try it though.

I began to focus on the apple. I imagined the apple hovering over the table, idly. I opened my eyes to see that it wasn't levitating at all. I tried once more only to fail yet again. The more I focused on the apple the less it appeared to work.

"Easy there Tye. Don't be so intent on the focus. Let the feeling flow through you as you focus on the apple. Too much focus will only cause nothing. Just relax," she encouraged.

Relax…relax.

As I calmed myself, I felt a strange welling feeling in my chest. I felt a rush of emotions that were full of excitement, freedom, wonder. It's as if the feelings of world outside were within me. I felt as if this time I could do it. So I set my sights on the apple and focused. Suddenly, a bright, pale green light surrounded my horn and the apple. Then the apple began to slowly lift itself from the table.

I laughed in excitement. "Look Twilight! The apple! It's floating!"

Twilight stomped her front hooves in applause. "Yes! That's it Tye, you did it!"

I had finally got the hang of levitating magic. I grasped the concept so I began to experiment with my reach. The apple began to move to and fro upon my whims. It flew all over the library, going under tables, around books, I even landed it on Spike's head, who was observing my lesson.

"Alright, show off, set down the apple or eat it," she chastised.

"Don't mind if I do," I said. Then I took a bite out of the apple that has hovering in front of my face.

"So, now you know the basic spell of levitation and have an understanding on how to do magic itself. With some practice and studying, I'm sure you can be good as good at magic as any other unicorn here in Ponyville."

"Of course, no one will ever be better than Twilight. She's the best when it comes to magic!" Spike gloated.

"Spike!" she yelled.

"Oh, yeah? Well maybe with enough practice, I'll be as good as Twilight. Maybe even better," I said with a cocky tone.

"It's really no big deal, Tye. I may be good at what I do, but I'm certainly not the best at magic," she said.

"Don't be so modest, Twilight! I mean, your cutie mark says that your talent IS magic, for crying out loud," Spike said.

"Well, yes that may be true…"

"Don't worry Twilight, I don't have any intention to be a show off. I was just teasing you."

"Tye…"

"Hmph. Well I still say Twilight is the best," Spike muttered.

After some more training and lectures from Twilight, I had learned the basics of magic that any unicorn could perform. This allowed me to open doors without using my mouth or head, open and read books, and lift utensils and other miscellaneous objects. I could basically do whatever I could do as a human without the use of hands and thumbs. I was thrilled.

"This is great. Now normal tasks should be far easier!"

"You learned magic just so you could do chores? You are a silly one, Tye," Twilight mocked.

"Laugh all you want, Twilight. You've been a pony all your life and can do anything I can't do. I've only been a pony for two days! I can barely get anything out of my fridge without using my horn for a stick," I said.

She laughed at my story. "Well at least now you won't go hungry. You could even find a job in Ponyville to buy more than just vegetables."

"Well, I'd ask for more but I'm just going to have to get used to my new diet," I whimpered.

"All kidding aside, I'm glad I could teach you magic. It just goes to show how much I've learned through my studies."

"Yes, I'm sure Princess Celestia would be proud"

"I should hope so. I do try my very best. I still have much to learn though, so I can't stop learning yet."

"Yeah, that's how education goes. But seriously, Twilight, thanks for teaching me how to use magic. I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

"No, I'm sure you could have figured out how to use it eventually. You don't have to thank me," she said shyly.

"Don't be so modest. Do you think I could call you my mentor then?" I laughed.

Twilight became embarrassed. "Don't say such silly things Tye."

We laughed and I enjoyed Twilight's hospitality along with Spike. After many stories of Twilight's days in Canterlot and some of my adventures from when I was a human, I decided it was time for me to be going home.

"Well Twilight, it's getting late and I have overstayed my welcome. I'll be getting on back to my house now," I said.

"Alright then. But don't think like that. You are always welcome in this library. Please come by whenever you feel like," she said with a smile.

"Thanks Twilight. You're welcome at my house too."

"I might just take you up on that offer one day."

"I'll be waiting then."

With all the events I've been through, I suddenly became tired as I headed towards home. I met just about every single one of Twilight's closest friends and learned how to do magic. I could proudly say that I had a good time today. It has been only two days since I arrived here and I've accomplished so much.

"Speaking of arrivals, I wonder what happened to that pink pony?"

Thinking about her gave me an eerie premonition that I would see her again soon. Though seeing as this place is small, I was bound to see her again.

Once I had returned home, the front door was strangely left slightly opened.

"That's strange. I could have sworn I locked it…"

As I crept closer to the door, I hear faint sounds coming from within, the type of sounds that people make when they're trying their best to remain quiet but were failing regardless. It could have just as easily been my imagination, though. What with all the ponies I met today, my head has probably still reeling. The magic lesson also left my body drained. I didn't think casting magic would be so tiresome for the body. Regardless, whatever was in my house was in my house and I needed to go in. I decided to just walk in casually and cast a levitation spell on the intruders, just in case.

As soon I walked in, I was assaulted with confetti

"SURPRISE!"

I stared dumbfounded at the scene in front of me. In my home was a multitude of ponies staring at me happily. The room was filled with party décor, ranging from streamers to desserts. All the ponies I have met at random and even Twilight's friends were there with her. Despite all that, what my attention was focused on was on the pink pony staring at me with a big grin. She was the same pink pony that I bumped into and had run away from me. I sudden chill went through my body.

"So are you surprised? Are you, huh? I bet you are surprised. I mean anyone who just suddenly finds a party at their home would be surprised. Not me, though, I wouldn't be surprised. I would freak out, laugh and then get this party started!" she rambled.

At the mention of getting the party started, the whole room roared to life. The DJ unicorn began to turn on her turntables and party music filled the room. The mood was festive and every single pony was enjoying themselves. All of the atmosphere became infectious and I started to go along with the crowd. We did everything that was available: pin the tail on the donkey, bobbing for apples, balloon popping, twister and blind man's bluff. In my opinion, this was probably the biggest party in Ponyville.

"The biggest in Ponyville? No, this is fairly normal for Pinki Pie," one pony said.

Another said, "There's never a dull moment with Pinkie Pie!"

There was no doubt that the pony that followed me everywhere and played every single game with me was Pinkie Pie. She was one of Twilight's friends, who was also here. Every single one of Twilight's friends was here. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike.

"Well we couldn't pass up a party in your honor Tye," Apple Jack said.

"Yeah! Even though we got ourselves a race tomorrow, we can still party together," Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh Rainbow Dash, must you always challenge every new comer that comes to town? Don't mind her Dearie, I at least came to have a civilized party with you. I must say though, your home is very…well, droll. You MUST let me decorate it for you," Rarity suggested.

"Oh yes, Rarity is good with this sort of thing. You should take her advice, Tye," Fluttershy chimed.

"Thanks everyone. I don't know what to say. I've never had anyone do this for me before. This is really special. But why did you all come and do this for me? Why did everyone come and do this for me for that matter?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We're your friends. What else would friends do when they want to welcome them to their home?" Twilight said.

"Yeah! When we bumped into you this morning, I was quite surprised. I had never seen you before and when I've never seen anyone I have to do something to welcome them to Ponyville. Since you're going to be staying for a while, a party at your home would be perfect. After all it's my job to welcome anyone new to Ponyville. Even though I appointed myself as the official welcome to Pony…mmph."

Once Applejack realized that Pinkie Pie was going to keep going on forever, she covered her mouth her hoof. "Okay, that's enough that. He gets it already Pinkie Pie. Instead of talking, we should be out on the dance floor."

Every pony agreed and we started to dance along with every pony else who was there. The party went on late into the night until eventually the ponies went home. The only ones that remained were Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie.

I let out a heavy sigh. Now that the party was over, I lost all of my energy and became tired. "Wow Pinkie Pie. That was some party you threw."

"I know, right? If there's one thing I know, it's parties. And cakes. And sweets. And jokes too!"

"Alright. I'll leave all that to you then," I laughed.

Everyone laughed weakly and it was then that I felt that I stepped on a landmine.

"Oh! You're going to love the parties I make! We'll have so many parties that there won't be any time to rest. We'll be dancing, eating sweets, playing games. Now I have to go and get everything I have! You know Tye, I…"

As soon as she mentioned my name, I covered her mouth. "I can see why she's a handful."

"Now you're learning!" Rainbow Dash remarked.

After that, we all laughed at each other's antics while Pinkie Pie was left confused and annoyed.

"Thanks ladies….and Spike too," I said hastily, "This has been a great day. I've made new friends and I'll have plenty more chances to make new ones as I live here."

Everyone just looked happy and smiled at me.

Twilight was the first to break the silent, but warm atmosphere. "Well it's getting late. We should be getting on home. Right, girls?"

Applejack agreed. "Yeah, it is getting late. I'll go on ahead first. 'Night Tye."

Rainbow Dash soon followed suit. "I got to get to bed early. Need to warm up for when I beat you in our race tomorrow," she said smugly and flew off.

Pinke Pie followed, next hopping out the door. "What's this? A race? I'll host it. Me! You won't even see me coming!"

Rarity was next. "Dear me, all of this excitement has got me all worn out. I'll have to treat myself to a relaxing spa day tomorrow. Be sure to show up show yourself promptly tomorrow, Tye. We have much to discuss."

Twilight then whispered to me, "You have something to do with Rarity?"

I whispered back, "Yeah. It seems she thinks I have an eye for fashion, when I really don't"

"Ahh..I see. I remember when I first Rarity and got sucked into her fashion vortex," she shuddered.

"Yeah," I muttered in response.

Fluttershy walked towards the door with her head down low in an embarrassed manner. "Um…I hope you were comfortable with everyone being here. Sorry if we were a bother. Please don't be mad.

I chuckled a bit. "Don't be discouraged Fluttershy. I'm not mad over everyone being here. If anything I'm glad everyone should up, including you. I hope you come and visit again."

Steam appeared to have come from atop Fluttershy's head. "Oh…..my… I'll try to come more often then. If it's okay." She whispered.

"I'd be happy if you did. I'll be waiting," I smiled.

Fluttershy looked oddly content as she went out the door.

Twilight remarked, "I'm surprised. Fluttershy is very timid and doesn't open up to strangers. How did you get her to talk to you this much?"

"I don't know. I didn't even have a straight conversation with her. I was doing most of the talking when I met her. Maybe it has something to do with one her bird choir members?" I pondered.

"Hmm…well, it's great that you've made friends. I guess I'll have to work hard in order not to lose to them," she said.

I was confused at this statement. "What do you mean? What would you have to lose to them?"

"Oh, nothing. Don't worry about it," she said with a wink and a smile, "Time for me to get home too."

She walked out the door and I accompanied her. I waved goodnight as she trotted off to her home with Spike on hitching a ride. As for me, I was resigned to cleaning all of the after party mess before turning in. Now that I have grasped magic, cleaning up was rather fun and fast. With a flash of my horn, the room came to life once again. All the confetti and streamers began to fly toward the waste bin that was located in the kitchen. The cups and bowl that held the punch went towards the sink to be washed in the morning. I animated a broom in a closet to sweep up any leftover dust and confetti that wasn't picked up. Once everything looked clean enough, I put everything away and settled into my bed. I lifted the blanket and hopped into my bed. I didn't have much time to go through the day's events in my head before sleep over took me.

The next morning, the same bird, that came to wake me up yesterday, came singing a different tune. The tone had a lighter feel to it and felt more like it was a wake-up call for the sun. Whatever the case, it woke me up nicely, and I thanked the young bird. She bowed and flew away, back to wherever she came from.

With the dishes washed, I left my home and set out to find Rainbow Dash. I asked around and found that she lived in her own personal cloud castle, filled with a rainbow fountain and decorations befitting a Pegasus with a big ego. Seeing as I couldn't fly, I had to come up with another way to get her attention, if she was even home. A kind pony volunteered to peer in and see if she was home, but returned with a no. Seeing as she wasn't home, my only hope was to find her.

I had seemed to recall that there was a track here in Ponyville. Perhaps she was already there waiting? Walking there was quick, and when I got there, she was at the starting line, stretching herself for the upcoming race. If I had to put it in human terms, she would be doing push-ups. As I got closer she spotted me and beckoned me over.

"Hey there Tye! Sweet party last night! Ready to get beraten by the great me?" she gloated.

"You're a bit over confident, aren't you?" I pointed out.

"Confidence has nothing to do with it. I'm just that fast. They don't call me Rainbow DASH for nothing, you know."

"Well I would expect nothing more from you. All that awesomeness you give off sure is overwhelming," I said with a smile.

"Wait. You think I'm awesome? Er…I mean, I'm glad you recognize how awesome I am."

"I never said I didn't recognize it. I was just star-struck by your brilliance that everything I wanted to say came out terribly wrong."

If there was one good thing that I could say that came from being socially awkward, was that I got to see a lot of people and learn how to approach them. Rainbow Dash is full of confidence, pride, and an ego twice the sum of the former two. The only way to have control of the situation is to preen her feathers, so to speak.

"Oh. So that's what happened. Well in that case, we can just race for fun. There's no longer a need to have a grudge match," she contently said.

Darn. Almost got out of the race. No way to weasel my way out of this one.

I trotted over next to Rainbow Dash and began to warm up. All I could think about was how fast was I going to go and whether I'd look like a fool or not for racing. While I stretched, a crowd began to gather on the side. There were even some vendors trying to sell some of their food. I could only guess as to who brought this crowd in the first place. Twilight Sparkle.

As soon as I thought of her, she appeared suddenly in front of the crowd along with Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack.

"Well hey there. Come to watch me lose this race spectacularly?" I wryly said.

"Don't fret now, Tye. You'll do just fine. You can at least give Dash here a run for her money," Applejack said, encouragingly.

"Hey! I'm right here you know!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Don't worry Rainbow Dash. We both know you'll be beating me today," I consoled her.

"Applejack is right. Just look at your magnificent physique! You must be worth more than what you give yourself credit for." Rarity flatteringly said.

"Pffft. So he has wings and a unicorn! Big whoop. He challenged me to a ground race. What he should be doing is racing me in the air!" Rainbow Dash bragged.

"She's right. It's only because I feel more comfortable on the ground than in the air, as strange as that sounds for a pony with wings," I hastily said.

"Don't you worry! I'll be sure to throw the biggest party for the winner and loser of the race, so that no matter who wins or loses, you'll both be happy. I'm gonna make the best cake your tummy has ever had!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Whoo! Can't wait to dig in to that cake," Rainbow said hungrily.

"Errr…yes, thanks Pinkie Pie. I think" I said, confused.

"Um…please do your best. I'll be cheering with everyone for you." Fluttershy shyly said.

"Thank you Fluttershy. Cheer your best for me." I said.

Fluttershy just fidgeted as she happily lowered her head.

"Well anyway, I'm sure you'll do fine. Just try your best. This isn't an official race so there is no pressure here." Twilight said.

"Not yet it isn't." Spike said.

He then jumped off of Twilight's back and scampered over to the left of Rainbow Dash. He picked up a twig with a single leaf on it and began speaking to it like a host or commentator.

"I'll be doing the announcements and commenting on your race today," Spike said.

Pinkie Pie then interjected, "If you're going to be announcing and commenting on this race, then you're going to need a co-host!"

She rushed over to Spike and brought two microphones out of nowhere. With this tiny addition, along with the audience, it felt like a serious race was about to go underway…and I was in it.

"Yeah, thanks for hosting this race, Spike. This race really needed an official feel," I said sarcastically.

Spike thanked me and just gave a smile while Twilight was shaking her head disappointingly.

"Well let's get started then. Today we have the first race that Ponyville has ever seen. A race of Rainbow Dash, our established speed demon and talented Pegasus, versus our newest member of Ponyville, Tai, the winged unicorn!"

Spike was getting into his role as a host a little bit too much for this race.

"Well put Spike. This Pinkie Pie will be giving some little tidbits of comments for both of our racers! Let's start with Rainbow Dash. She has wings, she's blue, and she's fast!"

"….. Uh, is that it? Nothing else to say?"

"Nope. That's all the comments I have about Rainbow Dash for now," she said happily.

"Oookay then. What do you think of our underdog?"

"Hm…well he certainly is new to Ponyville. I mean, just look at those wings and that unicorn. I've never seen a pony like him living in Ponyville. I hope he does his best!"

"Nothing else?" Spike said, clearly annoyed.

"Well he is racing Rainbow Dash, so he is in for fast race."

"On that we can both agree. On that note, let's get this race underway. Ponies! Make your way onto the starting line."

"We're already at the starting line, Spike!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Oh. Well then take your marks then."

I got into a good running stance and readied myself for the call. The audience was cheering for either side to win. My body was shaking and I could feel sweat falling down my face. I don't think I was ever this nervous before. All I could think about was finishing the race. Winning was the farthest thing from my mind.

Spike began the countdown. "Ready…"

"Hey, Tye. Don't worry about it. Win or lose, you're okay in my book." Rainbow Dash consoled.

"Set…."

"Thanks Rainbow Dash. But hey, I'm going to do my best in this race, just so you know," I said confidently.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she said with a confident smile.

"GO!" Pinkie Pie yelled.

As soon as we both heard the word, we sprinted the first 100 meters in an attempt to gain a lead over each other. We were galloping as fast as we could in order to distance ourselves. Neither of us would let up though. When I caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash, it was obvious that she was surprised that I could keep up with her. She was so confident in her speed that she must have thought that there would be a large gap between us, but after crossing the halfway point, she was stunned that I was keeping up with her.

We were nearing the end of our lap and both of us were giving it our all to make for the finish line first. Rainbow Dash obviously did not want to lose at this point and even I wanted to win now that I was on the home stretch. Then as we crossed the finish line, it was Rainbow Dash that pulled ahead by a nose. The whole crowd was cheering their lungs off, and apparently stomping their hoofs in applause. The both of us just stared at each other and grinned.

"I may have won this race, but I sure don't feel like I won," she said.

"Oh, yeah? I thought I did pretty well myself. Didn't think I would be so fast in all honesty," I said, trying to catch my breath.

"So then Pinkie Pie, what did you think of today's race and the winner?" Spike asked.

"Hm? What? Is it over? Darn it! I turn around to get popcorn for one second and then the race ends! No fair! I call do over!" Pinke Pie yelled.

Spike just stood there laughing at Pinkie Pie's antics.

"Pinkie Pie, you are so random!" Rainbow Dash and I said.

We both stared at each other and just laid in the ground laughing.

Everyone had already left by the time I finally recovered my strength from the race. Everyone had left with content faces. Many were gossiping about how I was a newcomer in Ponyville. Others were gossiping over my skills or my looks. All in all, I felt that I had suddenly gained fame by running this race, which was never official to begin with.

Rainbow Dash gave me a speech about her greatness but still acknowledged that I had potential in beating her…in a hundred years, she added. After that, she flew away, home I had assumed. The only ones who were on the field were me, Twilight and Spike, and Applejack.

"So how was your first race here in Ponyville?" Twilight asked.

"It was pretty fun. I never knew I had this much potential in running. I'll have to remember to not get too fast. Otherwise I'll attract unwanted attention," I said.

"What are you talking about? You should be at least a little annoyed that you were so close finishing first," Spike said.

"Well there Spike, he doesn't need to feel annoyed…..because he LET Rainbow Dash win."

A cold sweat began to go down my neck. "Wh-What are you talking about, Applejack. I did the best I could," I said, nervously.

"Don't you try to pull a wooly over my eyes. I know what I saw. You still had a good sprint left in ya that could have let you beat Rainbow Dash."

Twilight and Spike both looked surprised after hearing this. "Tye. Is this true? Did you really let Rainbow Dash win?" she asked, concerned.

I couldn't take their stares. I had to tell them the truth. "Yes, you got me. I let Rainbow Dash win this race."

"So why'd you do it then?" Applejack asked.

"Well, I felt that if let her win, she would take a major blow to her ego. I'm just a newcomer who just recently settled here in Ponyville. I don't want to steal anyone's thunder. I'd like to keep the friends I just made. As selfish as it sounds, I don't want to lose a single friend that I make here," I said, eyes cast down.

"Tye. You don't have to do that. Just because someone is better at something doesn't mean that the friendship will be ruined." Twilight said, consolingly.

"Well I don't know about that. I'd be mad if you were better at something than I was..OW!" Spike yelled as Twilight smacked him upside the head.

"Don't listen to this crazy cook. You listen here, Tye. You're not going to lose any friends over something as small as being better at something. If anything, Rainbow Dash would just keep on coming and coming until she beat you, heheh," Applejack laughed.

"Yes, but lying about it like this will get us mad though. You don't have to lose on purpose," Twilight said sternly.

"Alright…" I said, feeling thoroughly chastised.

"But WHOO-WEE you were fast. I've never seen a pony run that fast. If you had gone any faster, Rainbow Dash would have had to fly in order to keep up with you. I can't wait to see how you fly. You'll probably beat Rainbow Dash by a mile!" Applejack said, impressed.

"That's just it though. I'm not sure how to fly. I mean, I can move my wings and flap them, but I haven't got the hang of using them yet," I spoke, feeling embarrassed.

"Well that's not surprising. Considering your circumstances, it's no wonder you can't fly yet. We'll just have to teach you just like any other pony," Twilight said.

"Now hold on a minute. What kind of Pegasus doesn't know how to fly, especially at your age?" Applejack asked.

"Err…that's a long story. I'll tell you about it later. For now, you'll just have to believe that I can't fly," I said dismissively.

"Well alright then. But you had better let me in on what's going on. It's not nice to hold secrets from friends, ya hear?" she said.

"Right. I'll let you know the next time you ask. For now, let's go get something to eat. I'm tired and hungry after that sprint, everyone thought was a race," I said.

"Ok. I know of a good place where they sell good sandwiches that'll perk you right up," Twilight suggested.

"Oh fiddlesticks. What he needs is some good ol' apple pie. That thing will fill you up and cure your fatigue!" Applejack claimed.

"Why don't we just swing by Sweet Apple Acres and get some of Applejack's pie. Then we can share it while we eat sandwiches." I said, trying to settle for a middle ground.

"Ok!" they both said.

With all three of us in agreement we set off to eat. That's what I was looking forward to, along with some good rest. The race only served to let Ponyville know of my abilities. Little did I know that that race would not be my last against Rainbow Dash. If only I could have talked her out of it.


End file.
